Texans Earn Surprisingly Strong Grade Despite Week 1 Loss

The Houston Texans couldn't get it done for a Week 1 victory in SoFi Stadium on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, dropping in a 9-14 loss to begin the season at 0-1 heading into their primetime showing next Monday.

And it was a showing that had its hurdles for the Texans to overcome. Injuries were prevalent, especially on the offensive line, penalty issues were apparent, and with an almost entirely new roster offensively to surround C.J. Stroud outside of essentially Nico Collins, there were some considerable growing pains faced throughout start to finish in this one.

But, even with the end result not playing out in the Texans' favor, when taking a step back, it might not have all been too bad for Houston in their first game of a new season.

CBS Sports' John Breech handed out grades for teams around the NFL following the events of Week 1, where the Texans landed with a B- grade, not too far off from the Rams' grade of a B.

It centers upon the Texans' defense, which managed to limit a pretty talented and well-coached unit by Sean McVay to less than 15 points; something the Rams only did three times across the 2024 season.

"The Texans had one of the best defenses in the NFL last year and it looks like it might be just as good this year," Breech wrote. "Will Anderson Jr. led a unit that gave the Rams' offense fits, sacking Matthew Stafford three times while also forcing a key fourth quarter turnover."

However, the tide quickly turns when turning the focus to the other side of the field.

"The problem for the Texans is that there was no consistency on offense," Breech continued. "They only had one drive the entire game that got inside the Rams' 20-yard line and that ended in a field goal. C.J. Stroud took the second-most sacks in the NFL last year and things aren't off to a good start this year: He was sacked three times against the Rams and faced constant pressure. Dare Ogunbowale also lost a fumble on a potential game-winning drive in the fourth quarter."

"One bright spot for Houston was Nick Chubb, who rushed for 60 yards on just 13 carries. The Texans struggled last year against good teams -- they went 1-5 against teams that eventually made the playoffs -- and it looks like those struggles are going to continue in 2025."

On one hand, the Texans proved to have a rock-solid defense and showed glimpses of being able to rise to the top of the NFL. Will Anderson Jr. started his third-year campaign with a sack, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair put together a massive turnover that put Houston within reach of a fourth-quarter comeback, and held LA to zero points in the fourth quarter.

Sep 7, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

But that stability didn't stretch across both ends of the football. The offensive line struggled, the offensive attack would lack explosiveness, lack potency, and would see their hopes end with a brutal turnover in the final two minutes. That's what kept Houston down in this one, and now, heading back home still looking for their first win of the season.

Tons of reasons for optimism remain intact in this Texans roster this season, but it's clear improvements have to be made heading into their second week of action if they want to hit their ceiling in 2025.

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